1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dental care products with two-part formulations and utility thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most people suffer from dental caries. The causation of dental caries may include several factors. It is generally believed that dental plaque contributes significant to tooth decay. Dental plaque is usually a colorless biofilm naturally developed by colonizing bacteria and depositing salivary proteins and food debris on a tooth, and it can lead to dental calculus, gingivitis, and other related gum diseases. Moreover, in plaque, Streptococcus mutans converts sugar into organic acids, which release hydrogen ions in the subsurface layers of enamel, causing that the enamel diffuses calcium and phosphate ions out of the enamel and thus cavities are developed.
Dental care products, such as mouthwash, toothpaste, and dentifrice, have been used over one hundred years for eliminating malodor and killing bacteria of the oral cavity. Essential oils such as thymol, methyl salicylate, menthol, and eucalyptol, are active ingredients in antiseptic, mouthwashes such as Listerine®. In addition, mouthwashes usually contain alcohol as solvent of the active ingredients, and contain surfactants to solubilize the essential oils and/or other compositions. Moreover, other effective antimicrobial agents, such as cetyl pyridinum chloride (CPC), chlorhexidine gluconate, hydrogen peroxide, benzoic acid, phenolic compounds, and fluorides may also be employed as active ingredients.
It has been found that the efficacy of many active ingredients is reduced due to the presence of surfactants, and many ingredients are considered unsafe for human use. Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop safer and more effective dental care products.